UFC 131: Dos Santos Dominates Carwin
UFC 131: Dos Santos vs. Carwin brought the UFC back to Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 11, 2011. Junior dos Santos won the three-round heavyweight main event against Shane Carwin by unanimous decision, securing his position as the next challenger to champion Cain Velasquez. Kenny Florian won his featherweight debut against Diego Nunes, and the twelve-fight event mixed important contender bouts with dramatic preliminary finishes.
Dos Santos outpoints Carwin and moves toward the title
The original matchup had paired dos Santos with Brock Lesnar after their coaching roles on The Ultimate Fighter. Lesnar’s withdrawal through illness brought Carwin into the main event instead. Carwin had previously fought Lesnar for the heavyweight championship at UFC 116, making him a significant replacement with proven finishing power.
Dos Santos answered that threat with a controlled striking performance. The fight reached the judges, but the Brazilian’s sustained offense made the direction clear. Carwin stayed in the contest despite taking substantial punishment, and his durability prevented the kind of early ending that many expected from a meeting of two powerful heavyweights.
The unanimous decision confirmed dos Santos’s place at the head of the contender line. This was not a championship fight, and he did not win the heavyweight belt in Vancouver. Instead, the result set up his meeting with Velasquez later in 2011. His route to that opportunity had included a decision over Roy Nelson at UFC 117, another demonstration that his offense remained effective even when an opponent resisted the finish.
UFC 131 therefore matters as a bridge between dos Santos’s rise and his championship breakthrough. A change in opponent had not changed his objective, and he left Vancouver with a convincing victory against a former interim champion. Carwin’s willingness to continue made the fight demanding, but did not overturn its overall direction.
Florian makes a successful move to featherweight
Kenny Florian dropped to 145 pounds and met Diego Nunes in the co-main event. Nunes gave him difficult moments, including a first-round knockdown, but Florian responded with a broader attack and effective takedowns. He won by unanimous decision, with scores of 29–28, 29–28 and 30–27.
Florian had previously challenged for the lightweight championship, including his fight with BJ Penn at UFC 101. His Vancouver win introduced a new chapter at featherweight, where José Aldo had just defended the UFC title against Mark Hominick at UFC 129. The performance showed Florian could remain competitive after the demanding weight change.
Muñoz, Herman and Cerrone win on the main card
Mark Muñoz beat Demian Maia by unanimous decision after surviving strong early striking from the former title challenger. Muñoz improved his position through wrestling and offense as the bout progressed. The scores matched Florian’s: two cards of 29–28 and one of 30–27.
Dave Herman and John Olav Einemo supplied the main card’s most turbulent exchanges. Both heavyweight debutants landed damaging offense before Herman finished with punches in round two. Their bout earned Fight of the Night honors. Donald Cerrone, meanwhile, used persistent leg kicks and takedown defense to control Vagner Rocha over three rounds, winning a unanimous decision.
Stout’s knockout and Weidman’s submission lead seven preliminaries
Sam Stout countered Yves Edwards with a left hook that ended their lightweight fight at 3:52 of round one. The knockout earned Stout Knockout of the Night. Chris Weidman also finished in the opening round, catching Jesse Bongfeldt in a guillotine choke with six seconds remaining and receiving Submission of the Night.
Dustin Poirier won a unanimous decision over Jason Young, following his impressive UFC debut against Josh Grispi at UFC 125. Nick Ring submitted James Head in round three, Joey Beltran stopped Aaron Rosa, and Krzysztof Soszynski beat late replacement Mike Massenzio by decision. Darren Elkins won his featherweight debut against Michihiro Omigawa by unanimous decision, a verdict that drew disagreement from the crowd. Together, these bouts made the preliminary card a substantial part of Vancouver’s event.
Complete UFC 131 results
Main card
- Junior dos Santos def. Shane Carwin — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Kenny Florian def. Diego Nunes — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Mark Muñoz def. Demian Maia — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Dave Herman def. John Olav Einemo — TKO (punches); round 2, 3:19.
- Donald Cerrone def. Vagner Rocha — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
Preliminary card
- Sam Stout def. Yves Edwards — KO (punch); round 1, 3:52.
- Chris Weidman def. Jesse Bongfeldt — submission (guillotine choke); round 1, 4:54.
- Krzysztof Soszynski def. Mike Massenzio — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Nick Ring def. James Head — submission (rear-naked choke); round 3, 3:33.
- Dustin Poirier def. Jason Young — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
- Joey Beltran def. Aaron Rosa — TKO (punches); round 3, 1:26.
- Darren Elkins def. Michihiro Omigawa — unanimous decision; round 3, 5:00.
Sources
Article Tags
UFC 131, UFC Results, Mixed Martial Arts
